Awesomeness is always looking for you. But are you looking for it?
December 23, 2008
In my house, it’s usually bad news when the phone rings at 6 a.m.
This morning, my cell rang at 6; the ringtone told me it was an unknown caller. By the time I’d stumbled out of bed, the ringing had stopped … and a text message was waiting for me. The area code was from Michigan, which meant it was 5 a.m. in the caller’s neck of the woods. I read the text message.
hey sorry, checked out site, did not know u wrote book. i hope 2 hear from u soon. i did wait 4 a few, did not c u leave.
– Miss Bliss
It’s no secret that I’ve posted my cell number here on my site — I want to be as accessible as possible to folks, especially for business opportunities. It appeared as if the mysterious Miss Bliss scored my digits here. But I know no “Miss Bliss,” and certainly wasn’t waiting for her, wherever she was.
(Interesting aside: My next podcast fiction project, The 33, features a main character named Bliss. How’s that for coincidence?)
Now, there are two paths to take in “wrong number” situations like this. Ignore the caller (or in this case, texter) … or be as helpful as you can. So I texted back:
Are you sure you have the right person? I don’t think I know a Miss Bliss…
Michigan-based Bliss replied minutes later:
Nah, look like a lot of people. sing in this band and i thought ur name was jeff. his pic is on main page. long hair, sings 4 another band. does zeppelin, great range, a lot of Robert Plant? thought you were him, sorry
Swell. I was helpful. Mystery solved. I replied:
Sorry Bliss … Wrong guy. Good luck tracking down Jeff.
Now here’s where things get interesting and fun — and it completely reinforces my philosophy that 99 percent of the population are cool, decent folk. Bliss texted:
Wont be 2 hard, lol! … ur book sounds interesting! r u going 2 do film? I have done scifi before. independent is the best!
Sensing an opportunity to shamelessly promote my stuff — as an indie artist, you’re always looking for more fans / customers / connections … and if you’re not, you’re doing it wrong — I replied:
Thanks! Check out the free audiobook at 7thSonNovel.com! Hope you find Jeff!
i will, Bliss soon replied, and if you u need a strong intimidating gal, and do a film, let me know. i am a pro model. acting is fun, keep in touch!
Come to find out, Miss Bliss is indeed a pro model, and this “wrong number” adventure has provided me a chance to meet someone spiffy — and just as important, share her work with you. Artists helping artists, baby. This is what indie networking is all about.
Obviously, you can see what Miss Bliss looks like from the pic in this post — a gallery is below — and if you’re based in Michigan and have a need for Miss Bliss’ modeling or acting talents, you can find out how to contact her via her ModelMayhem webpage or at 248-979-3950.
In closing: Awesomeness is always looking for you. The question is, are you looking for it? Keep your eyes peeled, be open to serendipitous moments and opportunities … and never be afraid to answer the phone at 6 a.m.
–J.C.
Another fan-submitted, Hutchins-inspired pic
December 18, 2008
There must be something in the water today: First, Lance emailed me a delightful 7th Son-related photo, and now superfan Wired Pig is getting in on the action!
Take a gander at this photo, snapped by Wired Pig himself. I’m apparently selling appliances during this holiday season…
Who knew? I can only hope my appliances are packed with cliffhanging features such as “the ice maker that delivers a half-glass of ice, them makes you wait a week for the rest”, etc. 
Thanks for thinking of me, Wired Pig!
–J.C.
TEH CUTE, IT BURNS: Clone Army Status…
December 17, 2008
Check out this awesome LOL pic sent by 7th Son fan Lance Hirakawa. It’s perfect, and even features the proper number of Beta Clones!
Tee hee! Thanks for the pic, Lance! Find more silly LOL dog pics at IHasAHotDog.com.
–J.C.
He falls for the booty. He is killed by knife.
October 28, 2008
As I bebop ’round the ‘net looking for freelance writing/editing gigs, I encounter some awfully, ah, unique creative opportunities. This is the best I’ve seen yet. (Click image for larger version.)
The dude definitely has a vision … and I kinda admire the hell out of him for that.
–J.C.
Scott Sigler goes to Sesame Street
September 14, 2008
Inspired by a recent tweet by Evo Terra, I whipped up this little ditty. Sigler fans, enjoy.
(Original Sesame Street video is here; Scott Sigler’s Infected trailer is here.)
–J.C.
BONUS: “Star Trek: USS Proxima” — OUTTAKES
September 10, 2008
Filmed in 1992 in a basement with no script, no budget and a borrowed videocamera, two teenagers made a Star Trek fan film. Nearly 10 years later, the footage was edited with music and sound effects, creating this result…
This week, I’ve been posting a hysterically bad (but, based on fan reaction, very charming) Star Trek fan film I helped create when I was a teenager. Part One showed us the setup; Part Two delivered the punchline. In 2001, using video editing software nearly 10 years after friend Adam Fisher and I shot this silly little flick, I created the version of USS Proxima that we’d always wanted to make.
However, the original version of the movie wasn’t as polished as what you’ve seen. (If what you’ve seen could be called “polished,” natch.) Now you can witness a far more accurate take on what Proxima originally looked like sans music, sound effects and “special effects” in this outtake reel.
There’s plenty of blank stares into the video camera, flubbed lines, windbag stream-of-consciousness “Captain’s Logs” … and perhaps best of all, what our original “special effects” shots looked like.
Set phasers to stunned.
–J.C.
BONUS: “Star Trek: USS Proxima” — J.C.’s childhood fan film, PART 2
September 9, 2008
Filmed in 1992 in a basement with no script, no budget and a borrowed videocamera, two teenagers made a Star Trek fan film. Nearly 10 years later, the footage was edited with music and sound effects, creating this result…
Yesterday, I posted Part One of a preposterously, wonderfully bad Star Trek fan film that me and childhood friend Adam Fisher created 16 years ago. Star Trek: USS Proxima was filmed in about five hours with a bulky VHS video camera in the basement of my childhood home. Adam and I made up the story as we went along, shamelessly (and wittingly) aping the plot of our favorite Trek movie for inspiration.
This footage remained untouched for nearly a decade, but using a video editing app in 2001, I cut out a great many flubbed “lines,” and spliced in sound effects, a soundtrack and “special effects” shots (read: footage from several Trek movies). The result is this video, a slightly less-bad version of the flick. This was the version Adam and I always wanted to make.
Here’s the second part of the movie; expect a blooper reel to drop tomorrow. Among other sundries, that episode features what our “special effects” shots initially looked like. (We pointed our vidcam at a TV screen that played Trek movies).
As with most science-fiction epics, the final act of USS Proxima relies heavily on space battle shots. There’s not as much “acting” in this episode as there is in Part One, but I’m fairly happy with how my 2001 editing turned out. More important, the ending — featuring close-ups of the crew — should make you chuckle.
More to come tomorrow, but for now, enjoy the conclusion of Star Trek: USS Proxima….
–J.C.
Link to Blip.tv version here.
BONUS: "Star Trek: USS Proxima" -- J.C.'s childhood fan film, PART 2 [10:59m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | DownloadBONUS: “Star Trek: USS Proxima” — J.C.’s childhood fan film, PART 1
September 8, 2008
Filmed in 1992 in a basement with no script, no budget and a borrowed videocamera, two teenagers made a Star Trek fan film. Nearly 10 years later, the footage was edited with music and sound effects, creating this result…
Those two teenagers were Louisville, Ky., residents Adam Fisher and Chris Hutchins — that “Hutchins kid” now known on the World Wide Everywhere as me, J.C. We recorded the footage for what became Star Trek: USS Proxima in about five hours, spread over two days. I was 16 or 17 at the time. Adam was a year younger.
The locale in which you’ll see this fine 16-year-old cinematic masterpiece (or farce, depending on your sense of humor) take place is the basement of my childhood home. For a handful of years, Adam, me and other neighborhood boys would “play Bridge” — meaning, play in this subterranean Star Trek bridge — for hours, day after day. We built the set out of scavenged wood, milk crates, old chairs, and broken computer and audio equipment. Our wall-mounted readout screens were chalkboards. We even rigged “red alert” lights and other fixtures to make our bridge as believable as possible.
I have a very clear memory of being electrocuted in the Proxima bridge, while connecting a strobe light to an overtaxed electrical outlet. That knocked me on my ass, and blew a fuse, to boot.
By 1992, Adam and I were the only kids on the block playing Bridge. The fun had died for the others — understandable, as we were growing up, after all. But Adam and I got a wild idea for one last hurrah: a movie. Neither of our families could afford video cameras, so I borrowed one from Blockbuster Video, where I worked. We shot the footage, and as wise filmmakers, even filmed “special effects” — i.e., we pointed the vidcam at Star Trek movies playing on a television. Spaceships!
Since there were only two of us, but numerous roles to fill, you might notice that many of the Proxima crew are very similar in appearance. Run with it.
We ad-libbed the story and dialogue as we went, shamelessly stealing the plot of our favorite Trek movie near the end. (We were tired.) It was all so wonderfully, desperately cheesy and bad, but we had a blast. Our plans to take our footage — and Trek movie videocassettes for our “special effects” — to a local video editing company died on the vine. As the years went on, I lost contact with Adam, as well.
I don’t recall ever playing Bridge with Adam after we made this movie.
When I moved to Florida for my first post-college pro gig, I bought an iMac and used iMovie to create the version of USS Proxima that Adam and I envisioned. I added music, sound effects and those all-important “special effects” shots we’d pined for back in the day. What you see here is the first half of the movie; I’ll soon post the second half — and a “deleted footage” reel in which you’ll bear witness to some classic flubs — in the days ahead.
Watching this movie takes me back, man. I’ll likely blog about how Star Trek, playing Bridge, and that tiny basement room made a big impact on my life. But that comes later. For now, just dim the lights, hit play … and watch the biggest little movie two teenagers could make, 16 years ago.
–J.C.
Link to Blip.TV version here.
BONUS: "Star Trek: USS Proxima" -- J.C.'s childhood fan film, PART 1 [9:36m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | DownloadEven Hitler’s pissed about Twitter
August 8, 2008
Proof that I’m not the only one fretting about Twitter. But with friends like these….
(For the record: I hate Nazis. In my home, I call them “Nazi fuckheads.” It’s true. Listen to my books if you want to know how much I hate the bastards.)
–J.C.
Via ParisLemon
Forty minutes of awesome
July 16, 2008
I loved Snow Crash, couldn’t make it through The Diamond Age, and haven’t yet grown the balls to take on Cryptonomicon … but I know an undeniably brilliant writer when I read him, and Neal Stephenson is just that. I’m awed by his wordsmithing and worldsmithing. I aspire to write a tenth as well as this man. He’s a rulebreaker and genreblender, which is reason enough to admire him.
So imagine my delight when I found this 40-minute lecture Stephenson recently gave to a roomful of lucky (and likely equally clever) folks back in May at London’s Gresham College. While the presentation’s title implies a snoozer (”Science Fiction as a Literary Genre”), it’s far from it. There’s talk of Aliens’ Ripley in here, as well as a celebration of geeks, sympathy for “mundanes” and a definition of the phrase “idea porn.” It’s a masterful, insightful, fun talk.
If you have 40 minutes to spare, take a gander his presentation. This is what being the smartest guy in the room looks like.
If streaming video ain’t your thing, visit this page to download the 350+MB video file, or audio file. (Links are on the right-hand side of the page.)
–J.C.
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